German Published Patent Application No. 10 2006 030 001 describes an assembly for coupling a towing vehicle to a trailer, for example, that has a towing vehicle-side coupling unit and a trailer-side coupling unit. In the case of the described coupling assembly, the towing vehicle-side coupling unit has a measuring device assigned thereto that records and analyzes the force acting on the towing vehicle-side coupling unit in at least one direction.
German Patent No. 20 2007 008 391 describes an assembly for coupling a towing vehicle, such as an automobile, to a trailer, such as a caravan, for example. The described coupling assembly includes a trailer coupling where a ball socket provided on the trailer drawbar can be brought into swiveling engagement with a tow hook configured on the towing vehicle and having a spherical coupling part as a mating part. A measuring device is integrated in the ball-type trailer coupling in order to determine the load weights of the trailer's drawbar.
The German Patent Application DE 10 2006 004 963 A1 describes an assembly for coupling a towing vehicle to a trailer, for example, that includes a trailer coupling. To record the forces occurring during pulling of the load, the trailer coupling is provided with a measuring device. The measuring device includes a first component and a second component. The first component is movably disposed relative to the second component counter to the force of a spring device, the spring device having an axially symmetric design. The position of the first component relative to the second component can be ascertained inductively and/or capacitively and/or in accordance with the eddy current principle.
German Published Patent Application No. 100 30 128 describes an assembly for coupling a towing vehicle to a trailer, for example, where the trailer is hitched to the towing vehicle via a drawbar. The towing vehicle and the trailer make up a vehicle system, where a sensor system is provided to avoid dynamic driving instabilities in the towing vehicle by recording differences between the driver's desired direction of travel and the actual movement of the vehicle; a difference between the setpoint and actual movement resulting in individual trailer axle wheels being braked. In response to braking of the trailer, the combined vehicle and trailer system is stretched, the intention being to thereby significantly reduce the danger of buckling in the drawbar joint.